sicnarf_1978
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2009
- Messages
- 231
- Location
- St-Jérôme, Québec
- Car(s)
- 2017 Buick Regal and 1997 Peugeot 106
For those who are frequent flyers, we all have been witnessed or experienced some particular situations, in planes or in airport terminals... it can be funny or scarry.
- A funny one... In may 2011, I was in Paris CDG coming back to Montr?al and waiting to get in Air France Airbus A380. Even with 3 boarding ramps, it is quite long to make 530 people boarding this big bird. So we were waiting in the bridge. In CDG, the new bridges have walls in glass so we can see outside. They were refuelling the plane. The refuellers were conencted to the wings. A woman asked her husband what they were doing. He answered... "They are inflating the wings so the plane can fly.". She said... "Oh yes... I was wondering how a plane can fly.". She was serious. I was laughing to have a stomach ache.
- A scary one... In May 2012, I was going to Japan. When I reserved my tickets with Delta Airlines, I had the choice to do Ottawa-Detroit-Tokyo or for 500 $ cheaper, Ottawa-Detroit-Minneapolis-Tokyo. At Tokyo, the plane was supposed to continue to Singapore. I took the cheaper flight. The first two parts of the flight were perfect, both flights were taking off in advance and arriving even more in advanced. In Minneapolis, we were starting to board an almost brand new Boeing 777-200LR when a very violent thunderstorm came on MSP Airport. It lasts for almost one hour, delaying many flights as the ground people were not working outside. So we left the gate 45 minutes late. We were 5th or 6th for take off... Then we start rolling on the runway, taking speed, then the pilot put the brakes and violently take a taxiway and stop the plane. He told in the PA that we had an electronic problem and that he will reinitiate all the computers. This will last 20 minutes. After these 20 minutes, he restarted the engines and restarted the take off procedures. So we were coming back to the main runway, accelerating almost to take off speed this time then... same thing, brakes and taxiway. But more violently this time. Instead of being stopped on the taxiway, we went to a deicing lot. The pilot told us on the PA that the plane was too heavy to take off with the current winds. Those winds are supposed to change in 20 minutes (strangely, the same delay as the previous attempt). If not, we will have to drop some cargo at the terminal. 20 minutes after, the sun came and the winds were changing. So we tried to take off for the third time. Passengers were very nervous this time. And the plane reach his take off speed. So no turn back. Then it take off... everyone were nervous for the first 20 minutes of the flight. We touch down in Tokyo-Narita without any problem and while we were going to the gate, they announced that due to a mechanical problem, the flight for Singapore was cancelled, passengers for Singapore have to see Delta people on the ground for another flight from Haneda later. So there were really a problem with this plane... and we were in the air for almost 12 hours...
- Another scary one... In July 2010, in a Lufthansa Airbus A330 from Munich to Montr?al. The flight was a perfect one, with all the high service level of Lufthansa. While we were touching down in Dorval, there were strong crosswinds. So the plane touch down on only the right wheel, then bounced on the left wheel, then on both before braking safely.
- A depleasing one... involving Air Canada, the worst airline in North America. On the same trip as the one with Lufthansa, this time, when I left. I was going to Copenhagen, From Montr?al with Air Canada, then changing for Brussels Airlines in Brussels. I had only 55 minutes between the 2 flights. The Air Canada flight for Brussels was a bus-type flight. It was starting in Toronto, then droping and taking passengers in Montr?al (that means that empty places were not clean). But a thunderstorm in Toronto delay the flight... and another thunderstorm in Montr?al too... During the flight, the entertainment system for the third of the plane stopped working... and we finally arrived in Brussels 10 minutes before my flight. I run outside the plane, passed the passport control, then arrived 3 minutes before the time to my gate. They had given my place to a passenger in standby and proposed me another flight with Scandinavian Airlines later. I said no, so they removed the poor passenger from the plane and I took my place. In Copenhagen... no baggages... they told me in Brussels that my bag may be late and arriving by the Scandinavian Airline flight and delivered to my hotel. I was not surprised. But in the SAS computer, my bag was supposed to be in the Brussels Airlines flight... Finally, my bag arrived late the next day. On the stickers airport put on bags, I saw how they were incompetent... My bag was accidentally sent to Oslo instead of Copenhagen. But instead to send them to Copenhagen from Oslo with SAS (Partner with Brussels Airlines), they resended them to Brussels. Then... to Stockholm instead of Copenhagen... return to Brussels... and finally to Copenhagen ! My bag see all Scandinavia !
Your experiences ?
- A funny one... In may 2011, I was in Paris CDG coming back to Montr?al and waiting to get in Air France Airbus A380. Even with 3 boarding ramps, it is quite long to make 530 people boarding this big bird. So we were waiting in the bridge. In CDG, the new bridges have walls in glass so we can see outside. They were refuelling the plane. The refuellers were conencted to the wings. A woman asked her husband what they were doing. He answered... "They are inflating the wings so the plane can fly.". She said... "Oh yes... I was wondering how a plane can fly.". She was serious. I was laughing to have a stomach ache.
- A scary one... In May 2012, I was going to Japan. When I reserved my tickets with Delta Airlines, I had the choice to do Ottawa-Detroit-Tokyo or for 500 $ cheaper, Ottawa-Detroit-Minneapolis-Tokyo. At Tokyo, the plane was supposed to continue to Singapore. I took the cheaper flight. The first two parts of the flight were perfect, both flights were taking off in advance and arriving even more in advanced. In Minneapolis, we were starting to board an almost brand new Boeing 777-200LR when a very violent thunderstorm came on MSP Airport. It lasts for almost one hour, delaying many flights as the ground people were not working outside. So we left the gate 45 minutes late. We were 5th or 6th for take off... Then we start rolling on the runway, taking speed, then the pilot put the brakes and violently take a taxiway and stop the plane. He told in the PA that we had an electronic problem and that he will reinitiate all the computers. This will last 20 minutes. After these 20 minutes, he restarted the engines and restarted the take off procedures. So we were coming back to the main runway, accelerating almost to take off speed this time then... same thing, brakes and taxiway. But more violently this time. Instead of being stopped on the taxiway, we went to a deicing lot. The pilot told us on the PA that the plane was too heavy to take off with the current winds. Those winds are supposed to change in 20 minutes (strangely, the same delay as the previous attempt). If not, we will have to drop some cargo at the terminal. 20 minutes after, the sun came and the winds were changing. So we tried to take off for the third time. Passengers were very nervous this time. And the plane reach his take off speed. So no turn back. Then it take off... everyone were nervous for the first 20 minutes of the flight. We touch down in Tokyo-Narita without any problem and while we were going to the gate, they announced that due to a mechanical problem, the flight for Singapore was cancelled, passengers for Singapore have to see Delta people on the ground for another flight from Haneda later. So there were really a problem with this plane... and we were in the air for almost 12 hours...
- Another scary one... In July 2010, in a Lufthansa Airbus A330 from Munich to Montr?al. The flight was a perfect one, with all the high service level of Lufthansa. While we were touching down in Dorval, there were strong crosswinds. So the plane touch down on only the right wheel, then bounced on the left wheel, then on both before braking safely.
- A depleasing one... involving Air Canada, the worst airline in North America. On the same trip as the one with Lufthansa, this time, when I left. I was going to Copenhagen, From Montr?al with Air Canada, then changing for Brussels Airlines in Brussels. I had only 55 minutes between the 2 flights. The Air Canada flight for Brussels was a bus-type flight. It was starting in Toronto, then droping and taking passengers in Montr?al (that means that empty places were not clean). But a thunderstorm in Toronto delay the flight... and another thunderstorm in Montr?al too... During the flight, the entertainment system for the third of the plane stopped working... and we finally arrived in Brussels 10 minutes before my flight. I run outside the plane, passed the passport control, then arrived 3 minutes before the time to my gate. They had given my place to a passenger in standby and proposed me another flight with Scandinavian Airlines later. I said no, so they removed the poor passenger from the plane and I took my place. In Copenhagen... no baggages... they told me in Brussels that my bag may be late and arriving by the Scandinavian Airline flight and delivered to my hotel. I was not surprised. But in the SAS computer, my bag was supposed to be in the Brussels Airlines flight... Finally, my bag arrived late the next day. On the stickers airport put on bags, I saw how they were incompetent... My bag was accidentally sent to Oslo instead of Copenhagen. But instead to send them to Copenhagen from Oslo with SAS (Partner with Brussels Airlines), they resended them to Brussels. Then... to Stockholm instead of Copenhagen... return to Brussels... and finally to Copenhagen ! My bag see all Scandinavia !
Your experiences ?